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THE BOSTON JEWISH TIMES
Write the vision and make it plain upon tables
HABUKKUK 2:2
TELEPHONE (617) 357-8635
APRIL 7, 1988
VOL. XLIII, NO. 29
20 Nisan 5748
25 Shultz
Optimism Justified?
By Susan Bloch
BOSTON - As U.S. Secretary
of State George Shultz continues
his third round of Mideast
shuttle diplomacy, veteran
observers wonder if the
American diplomat is whistling
in the wind.
Although his proposal for an
interim solution to the Israeli-
Palestinian problem has not
been rejected by any of the
parties, it has not been accepted
by any, except Egypt, which
really does not figure into this
picture. Palestinians in the
Israel-occupied territories andr
the Palestine Liberation
Organization have rejected the
Shultz plan, although it was not
offered to the PLO and no
official Palestinian representive
met with Mr. Shultz.
As the Secretary of State
embarked on another trip
through Mideast capitals this
week, some wondered if he had a
secret agreement up his sleeve,
while others questioned whether
Mr. Shultz was continuing his
futile mission to keep up the
appearance of movement.
An Israeli diplomat comment-
ed that Mr. Shultz has to put
forth the idea that there is
movement, even if it is
incremental, because the
alternative is so much worse.
Since there appears to be no
break in the stalemate over an
international conference, Mr.
Shultz shifted his discussion
with Israeli Prime Minister
Yitzhak Shamir to the content of
negotiations, rather than the
form. He carried the results of
this meeting with him to Jordan
and Syria as he sought a way to
bring the parties together.
To date, Jordan's King
Hussein has insisted on the
international umbrella to give
legitimacy to his participation.
Even is the King does agree to
some type of negotiation, there is
doubt that a joint Jordanian-
Palestinian team could be put
together. Palestinians in the
occupied territories do not
regard King Hussein with
affection, let alone as their
representative. They are quick to
point out that the monarch
murdered 20,000 Palestinians in
his effort to put down the Black
September uprising. And, they
add, Jordan is not a democracy.
In a recent survey, 95 percent of
the Palestinians polled said that
they considered the PLO their
official representative.
Neither the United State nor
Israel will deal with the PLO
until that organization
recognizes Israel and renounces
the use of terror.
Nonetheless, PLO chief Yasir
Arafat has made occasional
statements in recent years which
indicate he might be willing to
move in this direction. Mr.
Shultz's recent meeting with two
Palestinian-born American
members of the Palestine
National Council opened
speculation that some proposal
from Arafat might have been
presented at that meeting. The
See Optimism page 8
Are Chinese Missiles In Saudi Arabia
Built With Israeli Know- How?
By Susan Bloch
BOSTON � Just as the news
surfaced that Saudi Arabia had
acquired Chinese-made surface-
to-surface missiles, a small
article in The Sunday Times of
London indicated that Israel has
signed a secret deal with China
to supply advanced missile
technology to the Beijing
government.
Israeli Prime Minister Shamir
raised the issue of the Saudi
missiles with U.S. Secretary of
Defense, Frank Carlucci, at their
recent meeting in Washington.
The missiles have a range of
more than 2,000 miles. Despite
American assurances that they
will not be equipped with
nuclear warheads, Yossi Ben
Aharon, director general of the
Prime Minister's office issued a
veiled warning on Israel Radio.
"Israel has acquired a reputation
of not waiting until a potential
danger becomes actual," he said.
He later denied that he meant to
indicate that Israel was planning
a preemptive strike, as it did
against the Iraqui nuclear
reactor in 1981.
This week, an Arab diplomat
stated that he believed Saudi
Arabia would allow the United
States to inspect the newly-
acquired missiles if the United
States guarantees that Israel will
not attack them.
The diplomat, who is said to
be conversant with Saudi policy
noted that the arrangement
would be discussed when
Secretary of State George Shultz
visits Riyadh, the Saudi capital,
this week.
He also said that by giving the
United'States inspection rights,
the Saudis hoped to limit the
damage to U.S.-Saudi relations
caused by Saudi Arabia's secret
purchase of the missiles.
In London, The Sunday
Times reported that Israel had
sent a five-man team of military
experts to China last November
and that a deal was made to
supply the Chinese with
technology for advanced
trajectory-corrected missiles of
unspecified designation, armor-
piercing warheads and artillery
shells.
The newspaper indicated that
the arms deal was supervised by
Reuven Merhav, Israel's consul
general in Hong Kong, who
formerly worked for the
Mossad, Israel's secret service.
In addition to the weapon
technology, it was also reported
that Israel has been helping
China develop a multi-purpose
combat fighter plane, using
technology developed in the
production of Israel's cancelled
Lavi fighter.
It was estimated that the
current arms deal could be worth
hundreds of millions of dollars
in sales for Israel. National
Public Radio has estimated
Israel's arms sales to China at
$1.3 billion. Jane's, the
authoritative military journal,
has estimated that Israel's arms
trade with China is already
worth up to $3 billion.
Chinese officials have denied
the arms deal, although
observers at a military parade in
Beijing recently noted tank
fittings reminiscent of Israel's
See Missiles page 7
Panama's Jews In The Eye Of The Storm
By Morton M. Rosenthal
NEW YORK � Television
reporters on the evening news
often heir cameras on
Panama City's Central Avenue
shopp.ng district where
shoppers examine clothing and
shoes piled on tables outside the
stores. When a general strike is
in effect, the number of stores
open for business is used as a
visual barometer of the
effectiveness of the National
Civic Crusade's latest effort to
oust General Manuel Noriega.
But there are two untold
stories here. One has to do with
the pressure being exerted on the
merchants of Central Avenue by
both sides in the political crisis
because of televsion coverage.
The other is the fact that the
majority of those merchants are
Jews.
To ensure that television
broadcasts in the United States
and Panama show that the strike
is a failure, the government has
taken unusual measures to have
the stores remain open during
general strikes. The opposition,
united in the National Civic
Crusade, a broad-based
coalition of about 200 business
and civic organizations seeking
to oust General Noriega, also
has pressured the merchants - to
keep their stores shut in support
of the strikes.
Another Jewish dimension to
the political drama in Panama is
that President Eric Delvalle is a
Jew, a member of one of
Panama's oldest Jewish families.
On March 6 he sent a three-page
letter to his fellow Panamanian
Jews urging them to "join the
national movement" to oust
General Noriega. Thus, the
merchants of Central Avenue,
along with all other Panamanian
Jews, inadvertently find
themselves in the eye of the
political storm.
During the second week of
March, Barry Mehler, chairman
of the Latin Affairs Committee
of the Anti-Defamation League,
and I went to Panama and met
leaders of the Civic Crusade.
They expressed frustration with
members of the Jewish
community who did not close
their stores in support of the
general strikes called by the
Crusade in June, 1987 and
February, 1988.
This frustration was vented
last June in more than a dozen
different flyers which were
widely distributed in both the
commercial and residential
sections of Panama City. One
flyer said, "Jews of Panama,
today Klaus Barbie is being
judged for crimes against a
people; don't let this happen in
Panama, support us." The
headline on another was, "Jews
vs. Country." Still another
charged that the "Turcos (Turks
- their name for Jews from Arab
lands) have never integrated, nor
have they identified with this
country where they amassed
their fortunes." In addition,
some members of the Jewish
community received threatening
anti-Semitic phone calls.
What caused particular
consternation was the fact that
the flyers were distributed from
the National Civic Crusade
headquarters office. We told the
head of the National Civic
Crusade, Aurelio Barria, and
four other Crusade leaders with
whom we met at the Marriott
Hotel in Panama, that anti-
Semitism was morally wrong
and politically harmful to their
cause. In response to our
expression of concern that in the
wake of General Noriega's
departure anti-Semitism might
erupt once again, Barria said,
"We don't accept anti-Semitism;
we are against it...We will take
necessary steps to prevent anti-
Semitism happening again."
Subsequently, we met with a
group of merchants who own
stores on Central Avenue. They
spoke of the pressures which
government emissaries -
sometimes of cabinet rank -
exerted on them during personal
visits to their stores. General
Noriega is perceived by many as
ruthless and shrewd. We found
that the merchants fear
retaliation by the Noriega
government, which could be
immediate, more than they fear
the vengeance which the Civic
Crusade might exact.
They said that they opened
their stores out of fear, primarily
for the safety of their families,
but also mindful of General
Noriega's ability to destroy their
businesses overnight. Indeed, on
the night of March 17, one of the
stores on Central Avenue was
pillaged and burned. The fire
department's failure to respond
to the alarm until after the store
was gutted by fire was
See Storm page 7

User has an obligation to determine copyright or other use restrictions prior to publication or distribution. Please contact the archives at reference@ajhsboston.org or 617-226-1245 for more information.

THE BOSTON JEWISH TIMES
Write the vision and make it plain upon tables
HABUKKUK 2:2
TELEPHONE (617) 357-8635
APRIL 7, 1988
VOL. XLIII, NO. 29
20 Nisan 5748
25 Shultz
Optimism Justified?
By Susan Bloch
BOSTON - As U.S. Secretary
of State George Shultz continues
his third round of Mideast
shuttle diplomacy, veteran
observers wonder if the
American diplomat is whistling
in the wind.
Although his proposal for an
interim solution to the Israeli-
Palestinian problem has not
been rejected by any of the
parties, it has not been accepted
by any, except Egypt, which
really does not figure into this
picture. Palestinians in the
Israel-occupied territories andr
the Palestine Liberation
Organization have rejected the
Shultz plan, although it was not
offered to the PLO and no
official Palestinian representive
met with Mr. Shultz.
As the Secretary of State
embarked on another trip
through Mideast capitals this
week, some wondered if he had a
secret agreement up his sleeve,
while others questioned whether
Mr. Shultz was continuing his
futile mission to keep up the
appearance of movement.
An Israeli diplomat comment-
ed that Mr. Shultz has to put
forth the idea that there is
movement, even if it is
incremental, because the
alternative is so much worse.
Since there appears to be no
break in the stalemate over an
international conference, Mr.
Shultz shifted his discussion
with Israeli Prime Minister
Yitzhak Shamir to the content of
negotiations, rather than the
form. He carried the results of
this meeting with him to Jordan
and Syria as he sought a way to
bring the parties together.
To date, Jordan's King
Hussein has insisted on the
international umbrella to give
legitimacy to his participation.
Even is the King does agree to
some type of negotiation, there is
doubt that a joint Jordanian-
Palestinian team could be put
together. Palestinians in the
occupied territories do not
regard King Hussein with
affection, let alone as their
representative. They are quick to
point out that the monarch
murdered 20,000 Palestinians in
his effort to put down the Black
September uprising. And, they
add, Jordan is not a democracy.
In a recent survey, 95 percent of
the Palestinians polled said that
they considered the PLO their
official representative.
Neither the United State nor
Israel will deal with the PLO
until that organization
recognizes Israel and renounces
the use of terror.
Nonetheless, PLO chief Yasir
Arafat has made occasional
statements in recent years which
indicate he might be willing to
move in this direction. Mr.
Shultz's recent meeting with two
Palestinian-born American
members of the Palestine
National Council opened
speculation that some proposal
from Arafat might have been
presented at that meeting. The
See Optimism page 8
Are Chinese Missiles In Saudi Arabia
Built With Israeli Know- How?
By Susan Bloch
BOSTON � Just as the news
surfaced that Saudi Arabia had
acquired Chinese-made surface-
to-surface missiles, a small
article in The Sunday Times of
London indicated that Israel has
signed a secret deal with China
to supply advanced missile
technology to the Beijing
government.
Israeli Prime Minister Shamir
raised the issue of the Saudi
missiles with U.S. Secretary of
Defense, Frank Carlucci, at their
recent meeting in Washington.
The missiles have a range of
more than 2,000 miles. Despite
American assurances that they
will not be equipped with
nuclear warheads, Yossi Ben
Aharon, director general of the
Prime Minister's office issued a
veiled warning on Israel Radio.
"Israel has acquired a reputation
of not waiting until a potential
danger becomes actual," he said.
He later denied that he meant to
indicate that Israel was planning
a preemptive strike, as it did
against the Iraqui nuclear
reactor in 1981.
This week, an Arab diplomat
stated that he believed Saudi
Arabia would allow the United
States to inspect the newly-
acquired missiles if the United
States guarantees that Israel will
not attack them.
The diplomat, who is said to
be conversant with Saudi policy
noted that the arrangement
would be discussed when
Secretary of State George Shultz
visits Riyadh, the Saudi capital,
this week.
He also said that by giving the
United'States inspection rights,
the Saudis hoped to limit the
damage to U.S.-Saudi relations
caused by Saudi Arabia's secret
purchase of the missiles.
In London, The Sunday
Times reported that Israel had
sent a five-man team of military
experts to China last November
and that a deal was made to
supply the Chinese with
technology for advanced
trajectory-corrected missiles of
unspecified designation, armor-
piercing warheads and artillery
shells.
The newspaper indicated that
the arms deal was supervised by
Reuven Merhav, Israel's consul
general in Hong Kong, who
formerly worked for the
Mossad, Israel's secret service.
In addition to the weapon
technology, it was also reported
that Israel has been helping
China develop a multi-purpose
combat fighter plane, using
technology developed in the
production of Israel's cancelled
Lavi fighter.
It was estimated that the
current arms deal could be worth
hundreds of millions of dollars
in sales for Israel. National
Public Radio has estimated
Israel's arms sales to China at
$1.3 billion. Jane's, the
authoritative military journal,
has estimated that Israel's arms
trade with China is already
worth up to $3 billion.
Chinese officials have denied
the arms deal, although
observers at a military parade in
Beijing recently noted tank
fittings reminiscent of Israel's
See Missiles page 7
Panama's Jews In The Eye Of The Storm
By Morton M. Rosenthal
NEW YORK � Television
reporters on the evening news
often heir cameras on
Panama City's Central Avenue
shopp.ng district where
shoppers examine clothing and
shoes piled on tables outside the
stores. When a general strike is
in effect, the number of stores
open for business is used as a
visual barometer of the
effectiveness of the National
Civic Crusade's latest effort to
oust General Manuel Noriega.
But there are two untold
stories here. One has to do with
the pressure being exerted on the
merchants of Central Avenue by
both sides in the political crisis
because of televsion coverage.
The other is the fact that the
majority of those merchants are
Jews.
To ensure that television
broadcasts in the United States
and Panama show that the strike
is a failure, the government has
taken unusual measures to have
the stores remain open during
general strikes. The opposition,
united in the National Civic
Crusade, a broad-based
coalition of about 200 business
and civic organizations seeking
to oust General Noriega, also
has pressured the merchants - to
keep their stores shut in support
of the strikes.
Another Jewish dimension to
the political drama in Panama is
that President Eric Delvalle is a
Jew, a member of one of
Panama's oldest Jewish families.
On March 6 he sent a three-page
letter to his fellow Panamanian
Jews urging them to "join the
national movement" to oust
General Noriega. Thus, the
merchants of Central Avenue,
along with all other Panamanian
Jews, inadvertently find
themselves in the eye of the
political storm.
During the second week of
March, Barry Mehler, chairman
of the Latin Affairs Committee
of the Anti-Defamation League,
and I went to Panama and met
leaders of the Civic Crusade.
They expressed frustration with
members of the Jewish
community who did not close
their stores in support of the
general strikes called by the
Crusade in June, 1987 and
February, 1988.
This frustration was vented
last June in more than a dozen
different flyers which were
widely distributed in both the
commercial and residential
sections of Panama City. One
flyer said, "Jews of Panama,
today Klaus Barbie is being
judged for crimes against a
people; don't let this happen in
Panama, support us." The
headline on another was, "Jews
vs. Country." Still another
charged that the "Turcos (Turks
- their name for Jews from Arab
lands) have never integrated, nor
have they identified with this
country where they amassed
their fortunes." In addition,
some members of the Jewish
community received threatening
anti-Semitic phone calls.
What caused particular
consternation was the fact that
the flyers were distributed from
the National Civic Crusade
headquarters office. We told the
head of the National Civic
Crusade, Aurelio Barria, and
four other Crusade leaders with
whom we met at the Marriott
Hotel in Panama, that anti-
Semitism was morally wrong
and politically harmful to their
cause. In response to our
expression of concern that in the
wake of General Noriega's
departure anti-Semitism might
erupt once again, Barria said,
"We don't accept anti-Semitism;
we are against it...We will take
necessary steps to prevent anti-
Semitism happening again."
Subsequently, we met with a
group of merchants who own
stores on Central Avenue. They
spoke of the pressures which
government emissaries -
sometimes of cabinet rank -
exerted on them during personal
visits to their stores. General
Noriega is perceived by many as
ruthless and shrewd. We found
that the merchants fear
retaliation by the Noriega
government, which could be
immediate, more than they fear
the vengeance which the Civic
Crusade might exact.
They said that they opened
their stores out of fear, primarily
for the safety of their families,
but also mindful of General
Noriega's ability to destroy their
businesses overnight. Indeed, on
the night of March 17, one of the
stores on Central Avenue was
pillaged and burned. The fire
department's failure to respond
to the alarm until after the store
was gutted by fire was
See Storm page 7